Cross Border Agency has major transport role to play

CROSS BORDER transport is a prerequisite for the promotion of economic growth, development and improvement of quality and social interaction of all regions without which the vision of deputy president Thabo Mbeki's African renaissance would not be realised, says August Maluleka, c.e.o. SA Cross Border Road Transport Agency.
Speaking in Pretoria last week at the official opening of the agency, Maluleka said that transport was the backbone of the economy and therefore one of the most important links in the product value chain.
We are informed by economists that transport costs represent about 25% of the cost of manufacturing the product, he said.
The agency's role was to ensure that when goods were being moved from the City Deep container depot to a destination anywhere in Africa, that it be done in the shortest possible time at the most reasonable transport cost to the end consumer, he said.
We should also ensure that the driver of such a vehicle is not bogged down with a lot of papers that might get lost or cause unnecessary confusion and delays. It is for this very reason that we have successfully concluded and implemented various multi- and bilateral agreements on road transport with countries in the region. This resulted in a single permit system, saving operators time and money, said Maluleka.
Over the past four months the agency had succeeded in the implementation of such agreements with Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Already in operation were the multilateral agreements with Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Namibia.
The agency, in addition to the single permit system, also introduced a system whereby the operator does not physically have to come to the offices for the application of permits. This can now be done from any place within South Africa and the money can be deposited into the agency's account at any branch of First National Bank, he said.
Another very important achievement is that, over the past few months, the agency has hosted delegations from stakeholders and the industry, such as the Road Freight Association and SATSA. This move has allowed us to jointly tackle issues our operators were faced with in Botswana and which caused a major problem for them when competing in the transport market.
We believe although the matter is not entirely resolved, we must be at least 80% there, he said.
By Anna Cox